


Tik Tok, Tik Tok

by YulianaHenderson



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Thrawn Series - Timothy Zahn (2017)
Genre: Fluffy, M/M, also i love my little gay sons, boomer thrawn and baby eli, just some stupid nonsense to pass the time you know
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:35:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28149213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YulianaHenderson/pseuds/YulianaHenderson
Summary: Thrawn doesn't really understand technology that well, until Eli introduces him to TikTok and Thrawn accidentally becomes TikTok famous.
Relationships: Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo/Eli Vanto
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	Tik Tok, Tik Tok

**Author's Note:**

> So this story is utter nonsense, don't expect anything deep out of this. I have been IN LOVE with this couple on TikTok (Nicky Champa and Pierre Boo) and have started to sort of picture Eli and Thrawn to be like this, too. If you need some cheering up, go over and watch their videos, I swear you will not be disappointed. But I was inspired by them and this is the result!  
> Also, let's pretend like the Empire isn't that scary for our boys, and they get to live life happily by each other's side, alright.  
> Also, there is an age difference between Eli and Thrawn but considering we don't really know how old either of them are, I don't focus too much on it. At the end of Thrawn: Treason, I'm guessing Eli is somewhere in his late 20s, and Thrawn is probably mid-40s, but it doesn't really matter because age is just a number and Zahn never intended for them to get together so whatever, lol. (Also, I know Thrawn is probably too young to be a boomer but you know why we Millennials use the term right? Okay bye.)

Their age and cultural differences had never been as apparent as when it came down to technology. Thrawn was far from bad with computers, he could find his way around them and knew a couple of tricks; but Eli was much younger than him, and because of that, combined with the cultural aspect, he had grown up with technology and was far more advanced with it.

Not just that - Thrawn didn't have a single social media account; Eli did. Thrawn didn't understand the appeal, but rather than try to dissuade Eli into giving that up, he simply left him with it in peace. 

Eli appreciated that about the man. He might not like every little thing about Eli, but he would never let the small things be a reason to end what they had going on. (And they both loved what they had, despite their differences.)

"Hey, babe?" Eli asked as he was seated on the floor, his camera focused mostly on himself and catching a little bit of Thrawn, who was sitting on the couch behind him. Thrawn didn't look up from his book, but gave Eli his trademark noise to indicate he was listening. "You could have given me more kisses today."

It was silent for a while, and Eli's resolve slipped considerably. His few friends online had said it would be funny if he got into this trend, too - mostly so they could see the most likely deadpan reaction from the Chiss - but then Thrawn didn't quite understand sarcasm, or this type of humor in general. Eli suddenly remembered the type of man he was dating.

"Excuse me?"

"You could have given me more kisses today."

Thrawn's face was a picture as he tried to figure out what Eli was playing at, and it took considerable willpower not to break character. 

"What do you mean, Eli? I gave you kisses this morning."

"Yeah, well, it wasn't enough."

Thrawn's concentration was now completely drawn away from the book, and he lowered it into his lap as he raised an eyebrow at Eli in confusion. That was when he noticed the camera in front of Eli, and the eyebrow only went higher.

The light scold was visibly on his lips, but he seemed to decide to play along.

"You want more kisses, Eli?”

Eli nodded, still looking in the camera and smiling in what he hoped to be a mischievous way.

Thrawn dropped the book on the couch beside him, slid off the couch and wrapped a tight arm around Eli. Before Eli had time to process it, Thrawn had him locked in a tight grip while at the same time involving his lips in an absolutely, ridiculously passionate kiss. Eli didn’t even have the chance to smile or anything - he had half a brain to stop the recording before giving in to the onslaught Thrawn was subjecting him to. They sat there for a while until Thrawn pulled away and looked at him intently.

Eli was breathless, his previous actions forgotten, but he was reminded of them when he felt the camera laying against his side.

“What was this, Eli?” Thrawn asked, a soft yet intent hand cupping a cheek.

“It's TikTok. It’s this internet thing.” When Thrawn simply stared at him, Eli rushed to continue. “It was a joke. I’m sorry. Rose said it would be funny to do it but I recognize it was uncalled for.”

“A joke?” Thrawn asked, completely serious, still. “Very funny.”

Eli blushed in shame and didn’t stop Thrawn when he retreated, picking up his book and resuming his position on the couch. Eli retreated with his metaphorical tail between his legs. He didn't hear Thrawn's soft chuckle as he left the room.

~…~

Thrawn always thought he was hip, and up to date with the latest trends, but he was faced with the realization on a daily basis that the only reason he knew sort of what was going on on the topic of technology was because his younger lover kept him updated.

There were a lot of things Thrawn still didn’t understand about this unfamiliar culture. He had a good teacher, but it wasn’t always enough.

Take this ‘TikTok’ thing. He had heard  _ some  _ things about it, but not enough to honestly have a general understanding on the subject. He was aware Eli used it, and was amused by it, but the human respected the fact that Thrawn would not be interested in all the same things that he liked, and he could only be commended about that fact.

But now Eli had involved him in this business, and Thrawn was… rather curious to find out what it entailed. 

He had created an account and had searched the website, but there was simply too much for him to keep track of. He didn't know what it was that Eli liked there, as it appeared that there were countless different ways to go. There were challenges that were repeated across many different accounts, and he stumbled upon the challenge Eli had tried with him, too. He was slowly starting to see the appeal, and smiled faintly when he realized that Eli had wanted to involve him in this, too.

He found a challenge he liked and when the time was right, he sprung his trap. 

Eli was making them dinner, wearing just a T-shirt and boxers, and Thrawn had been silently admiring the human for a while, trying (and failing) not to be too conspicuous. He simply enjoyed watching his little human like this.

Just before Eli put a plate in front of Thrawn, the Chiss started the recording. Eli smiled at him, not having noticed the camera. Thrawn made a big deal of looking at the food, and then looking back up at Eli.

“Oh, I’m not hungry anymore.”

For a split second, Eli was unable to keep the hurt from his face, and it broke Thrawn’s heart almost beyond repair - but then he noticed the camera, cocked an eyebrow at the Chiss, and simply picked up the plate and set it beside his own.

“Well, more for me.”

Thrawn just had to smile at that, and for a moment forgot that the camera was there. He leaned in and kissed Eli and snuck the plate back to himself, which only earned him a scoff from Eli in return.

“Oh,  _ now _ you’re hungry.”

“I am if you are going to eat it otherwise.”

Eli rolled his eyes and still smiled at Thrawn, and then focused entirely on the no doubt delicious food he had just prepared. Thrawn stopped the video there and didn’t think about it for a while, thinking it was ridiculous and hardly entertaining. It was just him and Eli kissing and teasing each other and that wasn’t what he had seen on TikTok, but he had enjoyed teasing Eli just a little bit.

A day or two later, he realized he hadn’t actually forgotten about it. When he unlocked his datapad, he was flooded with notifications and for a moment, panicked, which was an extremely uncharacteristic thing to do for him, and he knew that. For a moment, he feared the Empire had returned to their lives, or that the Ascendancy was trying to bring him back (he realized all of his fears basically came down to him losing his precious life with Eli Vanto) - but then he realized they all appeared to be comments, and what the app called ‘likes’. The comments all talked about ‘how cute they were’ and how Thrawn was lucky to have such a good looking man cooking him dinner. There was not a mean comment to be found, even if there were probably hundreds, if not thousands of comments.

Wait… he hadn’t posted that video, right?

“My love?” Thrawn said when the notifications were simply background noises. Eli had been getting dressed and turned around to face him. “How do I upload videos to TikTok?”

Eli frowned at him and sat down at the edge of the bed.

“Why do you ask?”

“Just curious.”

Eli didn’t appear to be convinced but explained all the same.

“So in your expert vision, do you find it probable someone  _ might  _ upload a video by accident?”

Eli’s suspicion increased tenfold at that question, and he actually scooted up the bed to sit beside him now. He totally ignored how his shirt was only halfway over his shoulders.

“Thrawn, what did you do?”

Thrawn could never keep any secrets from Eli, especially not with those innocent brown eyes staring up at him. He turned the datapad towards the human so he could see what had troubled him, and slowly but surely, those brown eyes widened, his lips joining, until he looked up at Thrawn as a smile slowly pulled on the corners of his lips.

“Did you post a video?”

“It would appear so.”

“And you got quite a reaction, I see.”

Thrawn nodded and reached for the datapad but Eli held it out of his reach.

“Uh-uh! Let me see!” The human quickly pulled his shirt all the way over his shoulders and settled in to read the many, many comments. Thrawn felt shame wash over him - it had been a private moment, after all, and he hadn’t meant to upload the video, not really. But Eli seemed to love reading the comments, and eventually, Thrawn even heard the audio of said video and saw a huge smile spread on the human’s lips.

“I can’t believe this.”

“I’m sorry, Eli. I should not have posted this without your consent.”

“Screw my consent! You’re TikTok famous!” Eli actually laughed out loud, and Thrawn’s heart warmed at the sound, before the human handed him back his datapad and leaned in to kiss him deeply. “That’s so awesome. I never thought I would live to see the day my lovely boomer got friendly with technology.”

Boomer? Thrawn didn’t know what that meant but it didn’t sound like it was favorable to him. He let the supposed insult slide and accepted Eli into his arms, cuddling for a while, all the time watching Eli read more of the comments.

Alright. Perhaps he was a 'boomer', whatever that meant. But he didn’t know anybody who was ‘TikTok famous’, and that had to be something special, right? 

~...~

Thrawn let his fame die down a little, which was alright, because he had never meant to be famous like this in the first place. Eli loved reading the comments, however, and loved knowing people thought that they were cute - because they were. He guessed he could say that about his own relationship.

He and Thrawn had gone to the local grocery store to get some provisions, when Eli pulled out his datapad and texted Thrawn. He was already grinning at the prospect of catching Thrawn’s reaction on camera - and he knew he was being ridiculous spending time on this, but he loved his relationship with Thrawn, and he loved knowing that people enjoyed seeing them together, too. It was a nice change from all the times he had been bullied and excluded, simply for being gay.

Thrawn rounded the corner a mere ten seconds later, and Eli instantly giggled at the sight - Thrawn was a naturally intimidating person, just his presence could get someone to comply, and he wouldn’t even have to raise his voice, or threaten someone. Yet now, Eli noticed his shoulders were squared a little more than usual, as if he was trying to appear tougher than he was, and his walk was a little different, too.

“Eli?”

“Yes, babe?”

“Where is he?”

“Where’s who?”

“The gentleman who was hitting on you.”

Eli paused for a moment, barely able to breathe while keeping up the act. Thrawn wasn’t an aggressive person (despite being  _ very _ intimidating at the best of times) but he was a little possessive, also at the best of times. Thrawn trusted Eli explicitly and they had no secrets for each other, but apparently, the Chiss didn’t like the idea of some random guy hitting on Eli when he wasn’t looking. 

“And what would  _ you _ do if he were still here?”

Thrawn’s shoulders lowered a little, almost as if he was realizing just now what he had almost done. Still, his chest was still a little puffed, and Eli couldn’t stop the smile spreading on his lips. He loved his tough Chiss warrior, even if he was really just a giant teddy bear. 

“I would do my duty.”

Eli giggled. “Your duty?”

“Yes. You belong to me, Eli. Do not forget it.”

“I won’t. Anyway, why did you walk like that?”

Thrawn looked at Eli intently for a few seconds, before he lowered his eyes with a little,  _ almost _ innocent, but mostly embarrassed smile on his lips.

“I just wanted to look a little scary.”

Eli threw his head back and laughed, pleasantly surprised that Thrawn joined him a few moments later.  _ Man _ , he loved this man. Eli would be a maiden in need of defending every day of the week, as long as it was Thrawn who was coming to his rescue. 

~...~

“Hey babe?”

“Yes, my love?”

“Your Basic could really use some work.”

An eyebrow quirked up. “Oh?”

“Lucky for you, I can help you with that. Just repeat after me. I…”

“I…”

“E…”

Thrawn frowned at him deeper but complied. 

“E…”

“U…”

“U…”

“O…”

“O-”

Eli interrupted Thrawn by pressing the bottle of water he had been hiding from the Chiss’ view, and getting water all over his face. Thrawn looked shocked for just a moment, his lips seemingly stuck on the ‘exercise’ from before - then, he turned towards Eli.

“You little minx.”

Eli almost felt anticipation spread through him, because that voice, as Eli had declared it about a week into their relationship, had definitely been Thrawn’s ‘bedroom voice’, and Eli couldn’t help his instincts. But that feeling passed quickly when Eli was doused with ice cold water himself, noticing only now that Thrawn had somehow gotten a bucket of the liquid while Eli had been too busy setting up the camera. Now Thrawn was the one laughing, and Eli couldn’t help himself when he simply laughed along with him, and wrapped his arms tightly around the other, getting their clothes damp, and kissing those luscious lips. 

~...~

Thrawn had food for thought. He had always liked that phrase, but he couldn’t quite explain why.

He had been reading the comments on their TikTok videos for the past few weeks, still unable to comprehend how they got to this point in the first place. They seemed to have a loyal fanbase now, who were invested in their relationship almost as much, if not more, than Thrawn and Eli were themselves. In any case, Thrawn had enjoyed messing with Eli a little, and enduring the same level of teasing from the human in return, and to read his inner thoughts repeated on that little screen…

“My love?”

“Hmm?”

“I took out the laundry and it appears something got stuck inside one of your socks. Would you mind checking what it is?”

Eli frowned at him, and Thrawn always enjoyed this part of their TikTok videos. He liked messing with Eli, especially because he knew that  _ somehow _ , they would always come out stronger. 

Eli took the sock from Thrawn and looked at it; felt that there was definitely something in it; turned it upside down, holding his hand underneath it to catch whatever it was… and then simply stared at the ring that had fallen into his palm. 

Thrawn watched the human’s reaction, and while he knew he should have been nervous about it, he felt oddly certain. He knew where he and Eli stood concerning their relationship. He knew that they were forever. He knew that even if Eli didn’t accept, it would by no means be the end of their relationship. 

“Thrawn?”

The Chiss merely smiled gently at Eli, despite his earlier sentiments, feeling his heart beat a little faster inside his chest. Eli looked at him, then the ring, and then back at him again. 

“What is this, Thrawn?”

“Will you marry me, Eli?”

“Are you serious?”

“I have never been more serious about anything in my entire life.”

Thrawn was glad he had put the camera on a surface nearby so he wasn’t holding the device, because he was certain it would have been knocked out of his hands, for Eli basically threw himself into Thrawn’s arms and let out a watery laugh. Still, the human pulled back a little and subjected him to some intense scrutiny, as if he still didn’t believe that this was happening - Thrawn hated everybody who had ever hurt Eli to give him such trust issues. 

“Are you serious, Thrawn? Don’t mess with me.”

“I wouldn’t dare.”

“You’re not just doing this for the video?”

“I have been thinking about this for a while. I do admit, the comments spurred me on, but this is all me.”

Eli’s face broke into the biggest smile Thrawn had ever seen on the beautiful human, and he didn’t stop himself from wrapping his arms tightly around him. They shared a deep kiss, conveying everything they had ever felt for each other, and everything they would feel from this point on, then Thrawn pulled away just barely so he could look intently at the beautiful human currently wrapped up in his arms.

“I love you, my sweet Eli.”

“Oh, Thrawn…” Eli seemed to be choking back a sob, and Thrawn cupped both of his cheeks, and kissing them, too. “I love you, too.”

Needless to say: their latest video was a complete hit. 


End file.
